London, Thanasis Gavos

The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, announced that she will not be a candidate in the parliamentary elections to be held within the year.

In a statement to the local newspaper of her constituency in Maidenhead, southern England, Mrs May said she had received the “tough decision» to leave the House of Commons after 27 years and seven electoral victories.

The 67-year-old politician was second female prime minister in UK history after Margaret Thatcher, ruling in the tumultuous period after the referendum Brexit, in the period 2016-2019. Since 2010, she held the position of Minister of the Interior.

Mrs. May’s decision follows similar announcements from more than 60 Conservative Party MPs, mainly from the more moderate wing, to which the former prime minister also belongs.

In her withdrawal statement, Mrs May also included a statement support of the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunakexpressing faith that the party can win the elections.

This possibility, however, is considered small based on all polls of the last few months who insist on giving a big lead to Labor Party.

The latest poll puts Sir Keir Starmer’s party on 46% of the vote and the Tories on just 18%, not far behind the 13% of Nigel Farage’s far-right anti-immigration Reform party.

And according to a more recent seat-by-seat estimate from the New Statesman magazine, the Conservatives would lose 204 MPs if held today, falling to 161, and Labor would gain 214 seats and independence with 416 MPs.